


Our Last Days as Children

by ikuzonos



Series: Compensation for a Miracle [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Backstory, Child Abuse, Gen, POV Second Person, headcanon heavy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 05:37:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9058003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikuzonos/pseuds/ikuzonos
Summary: Even before the end of the world, Maki Harukawa was no saviour.[WRITTEN BEFORE THE RELEASE OF NDRV3]





	

Light snow comes down on the grounds. You peer through the frosted windows, trying to look outside. 

You're nine years old, but you’ll be ten come February. This is your seventh winter at the orphanage. You don't remember what winter was like before you were here. 

The matron has already gone to bed, but you and a few of the older kids are still awake. The youngest ones were tucked in two hours ago. 

You look around the room. None of your friends are still in the room, they've chosen to at least pretend to sleep. Chie, who is sixteen, and Yosuke, who is thirteen, are curled up by the still roaring fire, each nose deep in a book. Rise, who is nearing twelve, is on the other side of the room, absently playing with the toys. 

The snow is getting fiercer outside. You sigh softly, admiring the grounds while you still can. 

“Hey, Harumaki,” Chie’s voice rings out, “Go to bed.”

You sigh, “But why? I'm not tired!”

Chie says, “You're still a single. When you become a double, then you can stay up the extra hour. You know the rules better than I do.”

“I'll be a double in February…”

“No,” Chie insists, “Go to bed, Harumaki.”

You peel yourself away from the window, shuffle out of the room, and into your sleeping quarters. 

Most of your year is fast asleep, but a couple heads are still poking up from beneath the thin quilts. 

As you climb into bed, a voice whispers, “Maki-san?”

You look around, “Kenji-kun?”

Kenji Himura is your best friend. He has the bed right next to yours, which makes midnight chats fairly easy. As long as the matron doesn't catch them out of bed, there's no real problem. 

Kenji mumbles, “I can't sleep.”

You reach across the gap between your bed and his. Your hand just reached the side of the mattress, “Just close your eyes, and fake it until you're not lying anymore.”

Kenji groans quietly, “You always say that.”

“Have I ever been wrong?”

He pauses, then admits, “No.”

You smile, “Follow my advice. You'll be fine, I promise.”

Kenji turns over onto his stomach, pressing his face into his pillow, “Thanks… night, Maki-san.”

“Goodnight, Kenji-kun.”

-

It is cleaning day. The orphanage must always be cleaned prior to inspection, and the matron makes a whole day of it. Kenji has been assigned to wash dishes with the cook, while you have to look after the youngest children who cannot be of any help. 

The infants stay asleep in their beds, while the other children play quietly with their toys. You watch from a chair in the corner, making sure there are no problems. 

You don’t know why. You don’t even like children.

You begin to fall asleep halfway through the day, occasionally drifting in and out. Luckily, you always manage to catch yourself in time. 

Night time comes, and you tuck the children into bed, then return to your own room. Your stomach grumbles as you go. 

Your lie down on your bed, and shuffle around, trying to get comfortable. It doesn't work, and you end up more out of sorts than you were before. 

Kenji’s bedsprings squeak. You look up, and he turns his head to yours. Then, he silently reaches out, and passes you half a corn cake. 

You greedily shove it in your mouth. It is the first thing that you've eaten today. 

Kenji smiles. His eyes begin to flicker shut, as he falls asleep. 

He stayed up for you. You smile back, even though he is now fast asleep. 

-

The pantry smells like nutmeg and flour. 

A fresh bruise is heavy on your cheek, and the ice you have pressed to it is not helping. Your face stings all over. 

The matron found crumbs in your bed. When she demanded who had given you the food, you held your ground and insisted you stole it yourself. 

(You couldn't blame Kenji. He would have had a worse punishment.)

The matron had smacked you twice. Once for eating stolen food, and once for lying. 

She could not prove who gave you the corn cake, however, and left to furiously scrub at the counter again until her fingers were numb. 

It won't be long before the inspectors arrive. You can't be seen by them, thanks to your bruise. The cook has hidden you in the pantry, and if found by the inspectors, she will pass you off as her own child.

You wish you looked less like the cook. Then maybe the inspectors wouldn't believe her. 

-

Nobody comes to fetch you from the pantry. It wouldn't surprise you if they completely forgot that you were in there.

You sleep just a little bit, in between the flour sacks, until the door jerks open, and the cook hisses, “What are you still doing in here? It’s almost morning! Get of of here, Harumaki!”

You look up at her with tired eyes. She snatches you by the neck of your shirt, and drags you back to your room, dropping you on the floor.

“Miserable wretch.”

The wood floor panels aren’t as bad as some say. They’ve softened with age, or perhaps they’re merely rotting. You shut your eyes, sleeping on the panels until the bells ring, signifying the awakening hour.

It has only been nine minutes.

-

“We should leave.”

You cast a glance at Kenji, who throws another rock into the pond. The two of you have been sitting on the roof for the past few hours, out of sight and mind.

You fiddle with your hair, “Where would we go? We’re not old enough to just walk out of here. If we’re caught, we’ll be killed, or worse.”

You think of the cellar. It was pitch black and freezing cold down there during the best times.

Kenji huffs, “We’re fourteen. Nobody’s ever gonna adopt us, so we should just skip town. I bet that we could make it to fucking Kyoto before the matron realized we were gone.”

“You think we could?” 

Kenji leans back on the moldy tile, “We could make it anywhere, Maki. We could conquer the world.”

You smile, “If you think so, then I’ll leave with you. I trust you… Kenji.”

-

Two years.

Two years, five months.

Two years, five months, and nineteen days.

In your and Kenji’s time as technical outlaws, you witnessed the world end.

You never had anything before, so this absence that most people are feeling doesn’t affect you. Not like it should, anyways. As long as you have Kenji, you think you will be okay.

Oddly enough, supplies are now easier to come by. There are less people around to fight you for them.

-

Children approach you. You’re not sure why, but they’ve been doing that your entire life. Even with a grumpy face, they still run up, and beg for your attention.

Right now, you’re looking after a group of them. They’re orphans, just like you. You wonder if that’s why you bother with them.

The playground you and Kenji are sitting at is amazingly still standing. You watch the children play, hanging from the jungle gym and zooming down the slide.

Everything that surrounds this place is broken.

Kenji says quietly, “Help me with something, Maki.”

“The children-”

“They can wait,” he mutters, “Please, it’s important.”

You sigh, giving in, “Okay. Let me just find someone else to watch them, though.”

He rolls his eyes, “Where are you gonna find someone who’ll do that? Just trust me, it’ll be quick.”

You say, “I do trust you, you’re my brother. Just… let me ask someone. That couple over there seems nice.”

There’s a man with silver hair, and a gleaming white suit, talking with a brown haired woman in a lab coat. Both look deep in serious conversation.

You approach them slowly.

“Excuse me?”

They both turn at the same time.

Your voice shakes, “Can I please ask you to keep an eye on the children for a couple minutes? I’m helping my brother with something, but I don’t want to leave them on their own.”

The silver haired man shakes his head, “We don’t have time-”

His wife cuts him off, “It’s okay! I’ll look after them!”

“Yukizome…”

Yukizome smiles, “It’s okay, Kyosuke! Don’t worry, you complete what we came to do, and I’ll make sure they don’t wander off.”

You bow, “Thank you very much. I owe you my sincerest thanks.”

Yukizome replies, “It’s no issue… what’s your name?”

“Maki Harukawa,” you said, “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

You run off towards Kenji, who looks irritated, but relaxes once he sees you approaching.

“What are we doing?” you ask.

He leads you across the street, into one of the broken buildings, and points to a newspaper article that is stapled to the wall. You step up, and read it carefully.

**Hiroshima Orphanage Shuts Down!**

**Just early Tuesday morning, the police shut down the Hiroshima Orphanage. It was widely known for it’s high adoption rates prior to this incident. However, an anonymous tip came to the police department, revealing that the children there are often physically abused, and that the conditions of the building bordered on unlivable. Further investigation uncovered…**

The article is dated two years ago.

“Wonder where everyone went,” Kenji says quietly.

You nod, and step away.

“I should… get back to the children.”

He snorts, “Whatever. I’m gonna look this over a few times… Meet you back there.”

“Okay.”

You were gone maybe fifteen minutes.

-

When you arrive back at the playground, Yukizome is squatting on the ground, crying. Kyosuke stands over her, looking out at the horizon.

The children are covered with cloth sheets.

Your throat grows tight.

“I didn’t make it in time,” Yukizome cries, “When I got here, they were already… Who… Who did this?”

Kyosuke doesn’t say anything, but instead looks down at her.

Yukizome whispers, “How long will this keep happening? Tell me, Kyosuke… What can we do to rid this world of despair?”

You crouch behind a pile of burnt rubber, tears running down your face. Kyosuke pulls her to her feet, and hugs her tightly. He then whispers something that you can’t quite make out, and begins leading her away.

As soon as they’re gone, you race over to the children. Hands quivering, you pull up one of the sheets, then drop at at the sight of the mutilated corpse.

“M-Maki?”

You turn around sharply, to see Kenji staring blankly at you. Neither of you move for a long moment.

Suddenly, he charges right at you.

The next time you can think, he’s pressed you up against one of the crumbling walls, an intense fury coming from his eyes, “How could you?!”

“W-W-W…”

Kenji growls, “You murdered those children! After all the bullshit we went through to keep them alive… after all the shit they’d gone through already! You  _ murdered them! _ ”

“N-No…” you gag, “Wasn’t… me…”

He snarls, and lets you go. You drop to the ground in a heap, gasping for breath.

“Kenji… you’re my brother. You have to… believe me,” you choke out.

He spits, “No, I’m not your brother. You’re dead to me,  _ Harumaki. _ ”

You flinch.

Kenji begins walking away, then breaks out into a run.

(You never see him again.)

-

He must have called what little law enforcement remains when he left, because now, sirens haunt you. You can’t stay in a shelter for more than one night, and you must flee at any sudden noise.

You can’t go to jail. You run, hoping that eventually, you can run far enough. You escaped the orphanage, and you can escape these people too.

You imagine that it is the matron and the cook who are chasing you, and your pace quickens.

But not even you can run forever. Not even you, no matter how hard you try. They find you in an alleyway, pressed between a dumpster and a crumbling building, one year after you began fleeing.

You scream. They do not hold back.

-

You wake up in a prison cell.

Kyosuke Munakata, the silver haired man from the park, stands in front of the bars, prepared to offer you a deal. Instead of being executed on suspicion of murder, you will attend the Gifted Inmates Academy.

It is a school that he founded, for juvenile criminals who could be rehabilitated. 

You never went to school. Your heart urges you to accept.

Kyosuke tells you that you will attend class with fifteen other juvenile criminals who have been recently captured. He tells you a little about them, but none of it sticks. You are not going to die here.

You ask him about Yukizome, if she helped found the school. Kyosuke does not answer you.

-

When you wake up at a desk in an unfamiliar room, your last memory is of Kenji telling you that things will be okay, just after a bombing that had nearly killed you both.

A note on your desk says that everyone needs to meet in the gym posthaste.

You get to your feet.

(You wonder if Kenji is here.)

You walk out the door.

(You have never been without him before.)

You pick up the pace, racing down the empty hallways.

(You hope that he’ll be waiting for you.)


End file.
